sheepdog

or sheep dog

[ sheep-dawg, -dog ]

/ ˈʃipˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /

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noun

a dog trained to herd and guard sheep.

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Origin of sheepdog

First recorded in 1765–75; sheep + dog

Words nearby sheepdog

sheep, sheepback rock, sheepberry, sheepcote, sheep-dip, sheepdog, sheepdog trial, sheep fescue, sheepfold, sheephead, sheepherder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sheepdog in a sentence

Raising a good sheepdog is about building trust between the dog and the handler, Caldicott says.
How Science is Revolutionizing the World of Dog Training|Winston Ross|August 25, 2020|Time
Grossman has a name for the kind of person who sees the gun as protector in the opening thought experiment: sheepdog.
In Defense of a Good Guy With a Gun|Brian Castner|April 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Grossman would say that all I am doing is leaving the sheepdog burden for others, that I am choosing to live in denial.
In Defense of a Good Guy With a Gun|Brian Castner|April 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The mop-haired pup, Beast, is a type of Hungarian sheepdog and frequently posts pictures and insight into his family life.
Who Is Priscilla Chan, New Wife of Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg?||May 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

A young sheepdog appeared, but when it saw him it turned tail and slunk away as if it were afraid of him.
The Thirsty Sword|Robert Leighton
She works her way out like a sheepdog working his way out of a flock of sheep, or like a boat through pack-ice.
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence
I sit there with my beer in my hand and think about it for a while, while Hotlips looks at me like a lost sheepdog.
The Flying Cuspidors|V. R. Francis
My comment on this story was that the farmer had displayed an almost incredible ignorance of a sheepdog—and a shepherd.
A Shepherd's Life|W. H. Hudson
Then sometimes you find all predictions upset, and all the big dogs beaten by a greyhound or an Old English sheepdog.
The Dogs of Boytown|Walter A. Dyer

British Dictionary definitions for sheepdog

sheepdog

/ (ˈʃiːpˌdɒɡ) /

noun

Also called: shepherd dog a dog used for herding sheepSee Border collie

any of various breeds of dog reared originally for herding sheepSee Old English sheepdog, Shetland sheepdog

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012